Rafa Benitez

Player Ratings as Liverpool continue Christmas celebrations with 4-0 rout

The Christmas festivities continued at Anfield as Liverpool sealed another routine win, their eighth straight league victory - to remain top of the table. It took some time for Klopp's side to get up to speed, probably carrying a hangover or two from the night before, but the players once again got the deed done,...

Liverpool v Newcastle United Preview – Will Rafa ruin Reds’ Christmas?

The Details Venue - Anfield, Liverpool Referee - Graham Scott Date & Time - Wednesday, December 26th @ 15:00 Current Odds - Liverpool 7/50, Draw 7/1, Newcastle United 14/1 Form Liverpool Form Things are becoming very real for The Reds at the top of the table. Seven straight league wins since their 1-1 draw with Arsenal in early November means Liverpool are sitting pretty at...

Rafa Benitez Still Channeling Spirit of Istanbul

Three game weeks ago, Newcastle were on just 3 points from 10 games, 19th place in the Premier League, yet to win a league game, and only avoiding being rock bottom because of the absolutely dire form of fellow strugglers Huddersfield, who they were only above on goal difference. And yet, even with their own...

Buoyed by Optimism – Liverpool’s Season Ahead

It’s a weird feeling not really knowing how to manage your expectations as a Liverpool fan. I’m 38 - a seasoned pro at this. However, never in my experience of supporting The Reds can I remember a feeling of such enthusiasm surrounding the club. Not Then, Not Ever Even after Rafa’s fantastic 08/09 team came within...

Leon Bailey and that “Concrete Interest”

With the breaking news this morning that Bailey himself confirmed Liverpool have a “concrete interest” in him, I decided to follow on from my pieces on Fekir & Pulisic with a look at the Leverkusen star, Leon Bailey. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfzKDAPd9VY Above: Reliable Bundesliga journalist, Old Gregg, hinting at a move to Liverpool. My mind wandered this morning to that...

Joe Gomez: The Next Carragher?

Joe Gomez signed for Liverpool as an exciting young centre-back who at 17 years old had broken into Charlton's first team. In 18 first team starts he'd played both centre-back and right-back, showing his pace, power and surprising physicality given his age. Due to a spate of injuries in the squad, Gomez started his Liverpool...

Can Klopp finally land the League Title?

Prior to the World Cup, Liverpool could conceivably have delivered the most spectacular summer for many a decade (in midfield alone). The midfield roster was oh-so-close to being Fabinho, Keita and Fekir. An upgrade of epic proportions and the kind of statement of intent that has been rare in the Anfield Premier League era. Midfield...

Alisson, Van Dijk & Keita: Liverpool’s New Game-Changing Spine

This time just over a year ago, imagine being told Liverpool would sign Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Naby Keita in the 12 months that followed. It would have felt like the most beautiful of pipe dreams, even if Alisson wasn’t the world-renowned goalkeeper he speedily blossomed into at Roma. Great teams have great spines and...

The Curious Case of John Arne Riise

Last week, Leanne Prescott, AnfieldIndex's impish commentator, and I had an email exchange about the changing role of the fullback. Her argument - and it’s one I have no great issue with – is that the modern-day full-back spends as much time in the opponents half as his own. Gone are the days when the...

Liverpool FC – Getting Smarter

Liverpool football club is not at the top of the transfer food chain. It's an unpleasant fact but we need to accept it. There are clubs that are richer, stronger and can offer guarantees that LFC just can't. So it's natural that some players will use the famous red jersey as a stepping stone...